In the University Hospital of Ghent, a coronavirus patient in critical condition recovered very quickly after he was given blood plasma from someone who had already recovered from the virus.
A 40-year-old man who was in the intensive care unit of the UZ Ghent, and was briefly on a respirator, recovered from the new coronavirus (Covid-19) after receiving experimental treatment with the blood plasma of another patient who had already recovered from the virus.
"The man in question has a serious disorder in his immune system, which he has known since he was born," said Bart Lambrecht, professor at UZ Ghent, on Radio 2. "He did not produce any antibodies for the coronavirus, so it was impossible for him to recover on his own," he added.
His condition only worsened. The virus had been in his body for 25 days, and he had been on a respirator for 14 days, according to Lambrecht. "We thought he would not make it, but then we found something in the literature. In China, they tried treatment with a transfusion of blood plasma from someone who had recovered from the disease before," he said.
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The hospital started looking for a suitable donor, and found one in one of its own doctors.
After administering the plasma, the results were immediately noticeable, according to Lambrecht. "The effect was truly remarkable. Barely two days later, we were able to turn off all respirators. The patient is no longer in the intensive care unit, he is doing better and better," he added.
With the right treatment, a lot is possible, said Lambrecht. Together with the universities of Leuven and Liège, the UZ Ghent will carry out further research into the treatment with blood plasma, reports Het Laatste Nieuws.
"Currently, we are also experimenting with other medicines, which are actually meant to treat rheumatism, and the results are also promising," Lambrecht said.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
